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People… they’re not always smart. For proof of this all you have to do is check out the latest trends on TikTok at any given moment.
One such viral TikTok trend, which also appears to have gained traction on YouTube due to its content, are videos that claim will make your phone feel colder just by watching them.
For example, one TikTok posted recently that consists of just two photo slides of a window air conditioner with the phrase “you’re joking” playing on repeat has been viewed almost 20 million times. Another similar TikTok has been watched over 18 million times.
Another video, posted recently to YouTube, titled “This Sound Makes Your Phone Cold,” has over 150,000 views.
That exact same video, over on TikTok, has been viewed almost 11 million times.
There are numerous other videos that have been posted to YouTube over the past few weeks that claim a sound will cool your phone or
This one has been viewed over 300,000 times.
The top five comments on the TikTok video that claims will make your phone feel colder are…
“Placebo effect is just crazy.”
“The placebo effect makes me nervous.”
“The placebo effect is just too realistic.”
“I love the placebo effect.”
“Guys, it’s the placebo effect (I have no idea what I’m talking about).
Neither do any of the rest of the commenters who claim the TikTok is a placebo effect.
“The placebo effect is traditionally used to describe the phenomenon where a person’s mental or physical health appears to improve after taking a placebo treatment,” Catherine Hallissey, a chartered psychologist, told the Mirror.
“Therefore, I would not define this as an example of the placebo effect; rather it is an example of the power of suggestion combined with sensory input designed to simulate the real thing.
“We have grown to associate the feeling of being cold with seeing an air conditioning unit up close while also listening to the sound of it circulating the cool air.”
And just in case you don’t believe her, Hallissey added, “The placebo is a well-studied medical phenomenon, not to be confused with an experience like this.”